Go-cart.



G. E OHEARN.

GO-CART.

APPLICATION man OCT. 23. I914.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

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GEORGE E. OHEARN, 0F GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 HEYWOOD BROTHERS AND WAKEFIELD COMPANY, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GO-CART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1191161.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. OHEARN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gardner, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in (lo-Carts, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to baby carriages, of the type generally designated as go-carts.

The invention has particular reference to the disposition and arrangement of the handle bar or tongue by means of which the vehicle is pushed or drawn over the ground, the details of the same being fully set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a go-cart embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the framework, viewed from the plane of line 2-2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of framework, illustrating a different'position of the parts from that illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

I have embodied the go-cart, merely by way of illustration, in a four wheel vehicle, the frame of which is constituted by curved longitudinal side members 1, 1, near the ends of which the transversely extending outwardly projecting front and rear axles 2 and 8, respectively, are rigidly secured.

Front and rear springs 4 and 5 of any desired type are carried upon the ends of said members 1, 1 for the support of a suitable body 6. Front and rear Wheels 7 and 8, dif fering in size in accordance with the drop construction of the frame, are journaled in any well known manner upon the projecting ends of the front and rear axles 2 and 3 respectively, serving to support the vehicle in the position shown in Fig. 1. I

Secured to the outer faces of the side members 1, 1, intermediate the ends thereof, are brackets 9, 9, preferably formed of metallic strips bent outwardly at their central portions so as to be spaced from the outer faces of members 1, 1. The handle bar 10 of the vehicle, connects the extreme ends of parallel curved longitudinal tongue members 11. The other ends of said tongue members converge slightly inward, and are preferably flattened on their inner faces for attachment to the outer faces of segmental plates 12, 12, by means of rivets, bolts or the like. One of the rivets or bolts 13 comprising said attaching means is preferably extended inwardly through the central portion of each adjacent bracket 9, being suitably retained therein by a head or nut with in the'space between said bracket and the member 1. Said plates 12, 12 are thereby supported for joint pivotal movement about an axis corresponding to the axis of the alined rivets or bolts 13, as will be well understood.

A strip 14 of spring metal has its central portion disposed above and transversely to the side members 1, 1. The ends or side portions 15 of said strip 14 are inclined downwardly and rearwardly, being fiattened at their extremities and secured to said members 1, 1 near the juncture therewith of the rear axle 8. Each side portion 15 of member 14 carries an outwardly projecting stud 16 which contacts with the curved edge of the adjacent plate 12 and is pressed yieldingly against the same by reason of the constant tendency of the member 14 to lie flat, due to its spring material. Notches 17 are formed near each end of said curved edges of the plates 12, into which the studs are received when said plates are swung by the handle bar 10, to bring said notches under said studs. The swinging handle bar in either one of its two extreme positions, as shown .in the full and dotted lines, respectively, Fig. 1, is thereby locked against further movement until the member 14 is raised sufficiently to carry said studs 16 out of engagement with the notches within which they are disposed.

A transverse member 18 has pivoted thereto at 19 a lever 20, one arm of which has pivotal connection at 21 with the central portion of spring member 14. The free end of lever 20 is extended beyond the frame and is formed with a flattened pedal 22, adapted to be depressed by the foot, when desired, to raise the forward end of member 14 and thereby carry the studs 16 out of the engaging notches 17 in the plates 12,

permitting the swinging of the/handle bar or tongue from one extreme position'to the other. The plates 12 carry inwardly extending pins 23, which are so positioned as to come in contact with the upper edges of the brackets 9 just as the studs 16 are moved into the notches 17 at either end of the swinging movement of the plates 12, serving thereby as stops to limit the angular movement of the bar to the arc subtended by the two notches in each plate.

By the construction above described, a

- singlehandle bar or tongue device is made effective with respect to either end of the go-cart, so that the latter may be pushed or pulled from either end. With the handle barin the full line position shown in Fig. 1, the go-cart is in condition to be pushed in the directionin which the occupant of the carriage 6 is facing; by merely depressing the pedal 22, thereby releasing the locking mechanism of the handle bar, the latter may be swung to its other extreme position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which it is automatically locked as the studs 16 fall into the other notches 17 of plates 12, as shown in Fig. 3, permitting the go-cart to be pushed from its other end, with the occupant facing in the direction opposite tothe direction of movement.

7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for I claim,

1. In a vehicle of the class described, a pivoted member through which the propelling force is applied to the vehicle, a segmental notched plate carried by said member, and resilient means adapted to engage one or the other of the notches of said plate when said pivoted member is moved into either of its extreme positions and a pivoted lever connected to said resilient means for rendering the same inoperative.

2. In a vehicle of the class described, a tongue comprising parallel members pivoted at theirinner ends to the longitudinal side members of the vehicle, a plate carried by each of said tongue members and having a segmental notched edge concentric to the pivotal axis thereof, and a resiliently supported member extending transversely of said tongue members, and adapted to be received within corresponding alined notches of said plates when said tongue is in either of its extreme positions.

Dated this seventeenth day of October, 1914:.

GEORGE E. OHEARN. Witnesses:

EDWARD G. WATKINS, THATCI-IER B. DUNN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

